Toxin
by Hayesfever
Summary: The CSIs have faced many dangers at crime scenes, but never one quite so deadly, or so hard to fight. Alternate ending to 4x4.
1. Decontamination

Title: Toxin

Author: Hayesfever

Spoilers: Season 5, especially 4x4. For tthe purposes of this story, mould growth was not the source of infection and the team does not yet know what Sara and Greg were exposed to in the house.

Summary: The CSI's have faced many dangers at crime scenes, but never one quite so deadly, or so hard to fight. Alternate ending to 4x4.

* * *

The moment she saw the biohazard suits, Sara knew something was wrong.

One minute she was working quietly, Greg by her side, the next she was being dragged roughly down the steps towards a tent that had been erected on the sidewalk.

She glanced over her shoulder at Greg, hoping that he would receive her silent message. _'Everything will be okay'._

But she began to doubt her own thoughts, as the men urgently told her to strip off her clothes.

As she stood, stark naked and freezing cold from the water, one of the men finally gave an explanation.

"We were called by the coroner. We were alerted to a possible toxin within that house. Protocol is to remove all those who may have been infected and send them to decontamination." The man left the tent, giving no further explanation.

But his partner remained, and sensing their fear, apologized for his co-workers cold attitude, handed them towels and calmly told them that they should be okay, but to stay alert to any changes or illness that should arise. After taking Sara's keys to search their car for clothing, the second man exited, leaving Sara and Greg alone.

The two did not speak or move, both lost in thought.

After they were supplied with clothing, they dressed quickly. They stood back to back, trying to allow the other as much privacy as possible. Finally they were led out of the tent.

Outside, a crowd had gathered at the partition separating the house from the outside world.

Sara shivered as the wind blew through her wet hair. In a surprising move, Greg gently rubbed her shoulder, trying to keep her warm.

Feeling uneasy and embarrassed, from the crowds' attention and her recent nakedness, Sara shrugged away his hand.

"Thanks Greg. I'm okay. How about we get the hell out of here?"

"What? And miss out on all this attention?" Greg joked, evoking a laugh from Sara.

After grabbing her keys, Sara followed Greg to the Tahoe. She quickly started the engine and pulled away.

"I don't think I have ever been so relieved to be leaving a crime scene." Sara spoke before adding, "And I'm a workaholic!"

Greg only laughed in response.

* * *

Long after the night shift ended it was quiet common to see Sara wandering the halls or working in the labs, so when she headed for the locker room just as shift ended, Grissom was shocked. When he entered the room behind her, Sara was already packing her bag.

When he had first overheard Sara and Greg's conversation, Grissom was confused. He felt something, jealousy maybe, but was not willing to admit it. Using his well established investigation skills, Grissom had uncovered the truth about his employees shower, but was not any less angry after learning the reason. He did not know why, but he was angry that Sara and Greg could so easilyjoke aboutthis event, he was angry because he had sent them into a dangerous crime scene and he was also angry that Sara had admitted to admiring Greg in the decontamination shower.

'Does this mean she is interested in Greg?' Grissom had wondered after overhearing her admission. Later, he inwardly scolded himself for being so selfish, for feeling betrayed, when the situation would have been extremely frightening and embarrassing for both the young CSI's.

As he followed Sara into the locker room, he no longer felt anger or jealousy but an overwhelming feeling of concern. He usually had to order Sara home, yet today she was leaving of her own free will.

"Sara, Is everything okay?" Grissom could not keep the concern from his voice.

Sara turned to him and smiled, "I'm okay. Thanks. It's just been a rough day."

"So I heard. But you're leaving on time?" Grissom said in shock.

Sara laughed, confusing Grissom, before she explained "I guess I'm just full of surprises today, huh? Leaving crime scenes early, leaving work on time."

"Are you cold?" Grissom asked as he noticed Sara shiver.

"A bit. I've had wet hair all day and these jumpsuits are pretty thin. I just want to go home, put on something warm and stare blindly at the TV for a while."

"Well, I won't keep you then. I'll see you tomorrow."

Grissom moved aside as Sara passed and headed for the exit.

"See ya Griss. And don't expect for this to become a common occurrence." Sara joked as she left.

* * *

Despite her intentions to stay up, Sara found herself collapsing onto her bed in exhaustion the moment she got home. 

'_What a day'_ Sara thought, as she dragged herself up to change.

Once she was dressed in the warmest pajamas she owned and snuggled deeply into the covers of her bed, it was only minutes until Sara was fast asleep.


	2. Exhaustion

She awoke with a splitting headache.

The alarm blared loudly beside her, sending jolts of pain throughout her skull with every beep. She roughly threw off the covers and scrambled for the alarm to stop its painful droning. She remained still, sitting on the side of her bed, as she waited for her newly acquired nausea to subside.

When her stomach had calmed somewhat, she rose from her position and began her daily routine. She showered, dressed, styled her hair, had a quick coffee and prepared to leave for work. Today's only difference was the turtle-like speed with which she performed these tasks. Every time a new wave of nausea washed over her, she was forced to stop her movements.

By the time she was actually ready to go to work, she was 20 minutes off schedule and she cursed when she realized she would be late for assignments.

Popping two aspirin, she finally left her apartment and began her journey to the crime lab.

* * *

Everyone had already left the break room by the time Sara got to the lab.

Cursing to herself, she sluggishly made her way to Grissom's office and prayed that he would not give her a lecture for her tardiness.

She knocked on his door and then entered before she received a reply.

"Sorry I'm late. I'll get right to work as soon as you give me an assignment"

Grissom looked up from his paperwork and was about to reply when he caught a glimpse of Sara. Her skin was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked as if she hadn't slept for days.

"Jeez Sara. Are you okay" Grissom asked, letting his concern seep out in his words.

"I'm okay. Just a little under the weather. But I'll feel a lot better once I'm working.

"So how about that assignment?" Sara responded.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive"

Grissom held her assignment in his outstretched hand, which she grabbed eagerly. She did not wait for a reply before exiting his office and heading for her car.

* * *

Despite her earlier assurances that she would feel better once she was working, Sara found herself becoming more disoriented as the day moved forward.

She quietly processed a murder scene with Greg, pausing every few minutes to take a deep breath and stop herself from vomiting on the crime scene. Sara had long since gotten used to the sight of blood. Yet today she had to hold in her cringes of disgust as she continued to process the body.

"Are you okay over there Sara?" Greg asked.

"I'm not sure. Have you felt okay, since yesterday?"

"I've been fine. Why?" Greg replied, beginning to worry about Sara's current mood and silence.

"No reason. I was just checking" Sara lied.

She had feared that her sudden illness may have been due to the events the day before, but hearing Greg deny the occurrence of any symptoms, Sara decided that she was just worrying and that she would go to the store for some cold and flu tablets after shift.

Finishing her work, Sara readily offered to return the evidence to the lab, any excuse to escape the imposing and bloody walls surrounding her.

* * *

Sara entered the crime lab in a daze.

As she made her way down the glass corridor, Sara felt her eyes begin to droop from exhaustion. So after depositing her evidence, she changed direction towards the break room for some much-needed coffee.

She entered the room to find Warrick and Nick at the conference table, with papers scattered around them, talking noisily about the latest football game as they worked.

"Hey Sar" Nick greeted. She lifted her hand in a small wave and groaned as this movement drained more of her dwindling energy.

She neared the counter, poured herself a cup of coffee and turned to join the two men at the table. Falling heavily in the chair, Sara let her head fall into her hands.

"Rough shift?" Warrick questioned, removing a disposable lighter from his pocket and lighting it in front of her in stereotypical bartender fashion. Nick sniggered from across the table.

His laughter died in his throat as Sara raised her head to glare at him. He was not stopped by the glare itself; he had worked with her long enough to have become accustomed to her intense stare. He was silenced by the sight of her, face flushed, eyes unsteady and with a small trickle of blood coming from her nose.

_

* * *

So what do you think? - Hayesfever _


	3. Blood

Grissom signed yet another case report and shifted it from his never ending IN pile to the much smaller OUT pile. He had been doing paperwork for the last 2 hours and didn't appear to be any closer to finishing than when he started.

He reached across the table for another folder, but paused as Al Robbins hobbled quickly into the room.

"Al, what brings you to this side of the lab?" Grissom teased.

Al was not in the mood for pleasantries, however, and got straight to the point.

"Gil, where are Sara and Greg?"

"Sara's somewhere here in the lab and Greg is still at their crime scene. Why?" Grissom replied fear beginning to rise. He knew that if the normally calm and collected coroner was worried, something serious must be happening.

"Gil, you have to send someone out to that scene and get Greg to the hospital. And we need to find Sara. Now" Robbins said as he already began to leave the room.

Grissom followed the older man into the hall, watching as he looked into each room they passed, searching for the missing brunette.

"Al, stop. Tell me what's going on." Grissom pleaded.

The doctor paused in his search and turned to Grissom. " The cause of death for yesterdays Vic was a fungal spore infection. I did some tests and I found Stachybotrys Chartarum in his system."

Grissom searched his memory. _Stachybotrys Chartarum. Produces spores that enter the body through inhalation. _He tried to recall the symptoms of the disease.

_Extreme fatigue._ 'Sara had appeared sluggish and tired as she had entered the crime lab at the beginning of shift, but one symptom alone could possibly be unrelated.' Grissom thought.

_Flu-like symptoms. '_She did say she was feeling under the weather.'

Grissom resumed his movement and took the lead, searching each lab frantically. He came to a stop outside the break room as he saw her. She was standing by the sink, Nick and Warrick at her side, clutching tissues to her bleeding nose.

'Nosebleeds. Oh God. They are a symptom too.' Grissom gasped in shock as he came to this realization.

Dr. Robbins came to a stop behind him and looked to the occupants of the room. As his gaze laded on the brunette, his eyes widened in shock and he turned to Grissom.

The two men shared a look. They both knew what this meant. Sara had been infected by toxic Stachybotrys Chartarum spores. And they both knew what would come next.

_Immune suppression, tracheal bleeding and pulmonary hemorrhaging._

Grissom felt bile rise in his throat.

* * *

Grissom entered the room and took in Sara's appearance. Her nose had stopped bleeding, and now she stood, facing away from them, clutching the counter top as if it was the only thing holding her up.

Grissom looked to the piles of discarded paper by her side, soaked in her blood.

Nick and Warrick were standing quietly, looking back and forth between Grissom and Dr. Robbins trying to determine why the two older men appeared so tense.

Catherine chose this moment to enter the room, and sensing something was wrong turned her questioning gaze towards Warrick and Nick. The men only shrugged in response.

Grissom lifted his hand to Sara's shoulder and gently turned her to face him.

"Sara. I know you don't feel well. Were going to take you to the hospital. Okay?"

She did not answer. Only nodded in response.

"The hospital, for a blood nose?" Nick questioned.

Ignoring Nick, Grissom turned and began giving orders.

"Warrick, Nick. I need you to go to Greg's crime scene and get him to Desert Palms as soon as possible. Keep him calm."

"Why? What's going on? What's wrong with…." Nick began to speak again.

"There's no time to explain. Just go." The two men turned to leave.

"Catharine. I need you to go outside and bring the car around to the front entrance."

Unlike Nick and Warrick, Catherine did not question but moved quickly to perform her task.

Grissom shifted his attention back to Sara, and after placing his arm around her, began gently guiding her out of the room.

As they walked, Sara's head came to rest on Grissom's shoulder.

As they continued down the hallway, Grissom noticed that Sara's breathing becoming uneven and she was depositing more and more of her wait on him.

Grissom turned his gaze to Dr. Robbins, who was trailing slightly behind them.

Sensing Grissom's concern, he increased his pace until he was by Sara's side and began to speak to her.

"Sara, are you having trouble breathing?"

Sara opened her mouth to respond, but was unable to, as she began to cough violently.

She fell to her knees, bringing Grissom down with her, and brought her hand to her mouth as she continued to cough.

When she removed her hand, it was slick with her blood.

* * *

_There's chapter 3 finished. What do you think._

_In case you were wondering, Stachybotrys Chartarum is a real fungi that really does cause those symptoms. __Athough the infectionis most common in infants, people with allergies or asthma are also in danger. __And just like in the episode, it is most commonly found in walls and water soaked wood._


	4. Sickness

"GREG!"

Greg jumped and nearly spilt his print powder all over the crime scene when the loud voice echoed throughout the house. He stayed silent, listening intently, as footsteps could be heard creaking on the floorboards.

"Greg! Where are you?"

He sighed in relief as he recognized the voice of his friend and fellow CSI, Nick Stokes. He scolded himself for scaring so easily, after all, the voice had called him by name.

As Warrick and Nick entered the room Greg turned to them protesting loudly.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"Why so jumpy Greg?" Warrick questioned the former lab tech.

"Sara is usually with me at crime scenes. I'm not used to being alone." Greg admitted to his colleagues.

Hearing Sara's name, the two men remembered their purpose for being there in the first place. Nick was the first to speak.

"Greg. We don't want you to worry, but Grissom asked us to take you to the hospital"

"Hospital? Why?" Greg questioned.

"Something is wrong with Sara. Griss wants both of you at the hospital." Warrick explained

Greg gasped as he finally realized what was happening. "Oh my God. Sara asked me if I was feeling okay. She knew something was wrong."

"I'm confused. What does Sara being sick have to do with you?" Nick questioned.

"We were both in that house." Still sensing their confusion, he continued. "At our last crime scene, we had to be decontaminated after Doc Robbins found a possible toxin in the Vic's system."

He had already begun packing up his kit as he explained.

"That explains why Griss and Doc where so worried. C'mon we better get going." Warrick spoke as he ushered his companions out of the room.

* * *

Catherine sat, tapping impatiently on the steering wheel, as she waited for Grissom to escort Sara to the awaiting car.

'How long does it take to walk to the parking lot?' Catherine wondered. She immediately felt guilty as she realized that something must be wrong.

Killing the engine, she jumped from the vehicle and made her way back into the building.

She was shocked by what awaited her.

A crowd had gathered in the middle of the hallway, surrounding a crouched Grissom and Dr. Robbins, who were attending to Sara.

Pushing through the crowd of onlookers, she approached the trio in the middle and called to Grissom.

"We called an ambulance Cath. We didn't want to move her." Grissom explained.

Catherine turned her attention to their audience and began talking loudly.

"Don't you people have jobs to do. Give the poor girl some room. C'mon, this isn't entertainment."

As the crowd began to dissipate, Catherine got her first good look at the brunette who held everyone's attention. She lay on her side, trembling violently and with a steady stream of blood trickling from the side of her mouth.

She kneeled by Sara's side and rested her hand on the brunette's hip. She would have reached for her hand, but Grissom held her left held tightly in his grasp and Dr. Robbins was monitoring her pulse with the other.

Catherine turned to see Archie running quickly towards them, a blanket and towel clutched under his arm.

"Thank–you Archie" Dr. Robbins grabbed the supplies the AV tech offered and with Grissom's help, positioned Sara's head on the rolled towel, before draping the blanket over her shaking form.

"It's going to be okay Sara. The ambulance is on its way." Grissom spoke through tears. He had tried to remain composed as long as they still had an audience, but know that they were alone in the hallway, he finally let his emotions show.

Sara, who had been quiet since her collapse in the hallway, now opened her mouth to speak.

"I knew som…something w..was wrong. I should have sa..said something sooner."

"Shhh. Don't worry, Sara. Stay calm." Catherine spoke up.

Sara focused her eyes on the blond, as if she was only just noticing her presence.

Her eyes began to close, but Catherine's urgent voice brought her back to reality.

"Hey. Stay awake."

Sara turned back to Grissom, who had begun gently stroking her hair.

"I'm scared."

Grissom opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Archie escorted two paramedics into the building.

In a daze, they watched as Sara was carefully lifted from the ground and placed on an awaiting stretcher. And then the paramedics were off, with Grissom trailing closely behind them, still clutching Sara's cold and trembling hand.


	5. From The Grave

Title: Toxin

Author: Hayesfever

A/N: I cannot even remember the last time I updated this story, I just know it was a long, long time ago. Don't you just love writer's block? But then I was sorting through my computer and found my saved chapters, and because I hate leaving anything unfinished, decided it was time to end this story. I have completed it and will put another chapter up every couple of days. Thanks for being patient, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

When Greg, Nick and Warrick arrived at the hospital, Catherine was already waiting for them at the ER entrance. Having already explained the situation to the staff, Greg was immediately ushered into a curtained cubicle and a nurse began taking blood samples.

Wincing as a large needle was forced into his arm, Greg turned his head away and began questioning the oldest CSI.

"Where's Sara? Is she okay? What's going to happen to me?"

"Greg, Sara is in the ICU. The mould that was in that house, _Stachybotrys Chartarum_, got into her lungs and caused hemorrhaging. They had to hook her up to a ventilator." She paused then, remembering the scene in the lab hallway, the pain she had seen on Sara's face, and prayed that a second friend would not be inflicted with this infection. "You were exposed as well Greg. We need to make sure that it hasn't gotten into your system too."

The three men were silent as the gravity of the situation struck them.

"But I feel fine." Greg protested.

"There is a possibility that you do not have the spores in your system at all. Symptoms usually would have manifested by now, but it is better to be safe then sorry." The nurse cut-in cheerfully, before extracting the needle and leaving to take the newly drawn blood to be tested.

"How is that possible? How could one person be infected and another be unaffected?" Nick questioned from his position near the entrance of the cubicle.

"Depending on where the mould is located, it may only circulate through certain areas of the house. Locations of air-conditioning vents may make a difference. Or even an individual's reaction may vary depending on their immune system. Sara's doctor found her files. It turns out that she had her spleen removed at a fairly young age. Without a spleen her immune system is lowered, so she was more susceptible to the spores." Catherine explained.

"But why, Cath? Why would she have had her spleen removed?" Nick asked, his concern growing for his colleague.

"It was Grissom that talked to the doctor, and he didn't pass on all the information. He just said that a splenectomy could be responsible for her compromised immune system." Catherine explained.

She had thought Grissom's behaviour odd when he had returned from speaking to the doctor. She had tried to coax the information out of him, yet he had been reluctant to respond, only telling her the bare minimum. And even then the only reason why he told her anything was because Greg's health also hung in the balance.

"You should be fine Greg. The tests are just a precaution. Unless you have something you want to tell us?" Catherine continued.

"No. Fully functioning immune system in this body." Greg joked, trying to mask the growing dread he felt over the danger to his co-worker and friend.

"Sara is going to be okay, isn't she?"

His question was met with silence.

* * *

Grissom sat by Sara's bed, holding her hand tightly between both of his.

His earlier talk with the doctor had unveiled information about Sara that he had prayed was not true. He had always suspected, but she had not gone into details, and he had not wanted to push her. But her medical history did not lie.

Even the doctor had been shocked by the long list of injuries that had been inflicted on

Sara. Broken bones, bruising, concussions, lacerations. And all before the age of thirteen.

The doctor had found records of her spleen removal, the result of an awful beating and the subsequent internal bleeding, and had linked this directly to her current condition.

Even from the grave, her father was managing to cause Sara pain.


	6. Questions Without Answers

A/N: Sorry for the small delay. I was having computer issues.

* * *

"Grissom?"

He awoke to the sound of his name and turned to see Jim Brass, Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Greg hovering just outside the door.

"Can we come in?" It had been Catherine that had spoken.

He turned toward the clock on the wall, only to discover that he had slept for nearly 3 hours and visiting hours had just started. He turned his attention to Sara and was both relieved and frightened that there did not appear to be any change in her condition.

Not speaking, he waved them in and then watched as each member of his team took in the sight before them. His eyes were drawn to Greg as he gasped, and only then did he remember that Greg was also possibly infected.

"Greg?" Grissom spoke; not needing to elaborate on is question.

"I'm fine. There was nothing in my system. The Doc said that any infection could already have been destroyed by my immune system." Greg explained, his eyes never wavering from the form of his motionless friend.

Grissom painfully arose from his chair, stretching his stiff neck and back, and reluctantly moved away from the bed so his colleagues could move closer. Nick was the first to take advantage; he did not speak but moved forward to grasp a pale hand in his. Warrick quickly followed, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead and whispering a quiet "hey girl" even though he knew she could not hear him.

When the two CSI's had finished, Catherine and Brass stepped forward, both quietly studying the ventilator rhythmically pushing air into damaged lungs. Brass stretched his arm to gently push Sara's hair away from her face in a fatherly gesture that had Catherine holding back tears.

When it was Greg's turn, the team looked to him in confusion when he did not step forward but remained staring at Sara's pale form.

"Greg?" Catherine placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"This shouldn't have happened. It's not fair. I'm fine, so why is Sara so sick." He turned his questioning eyes to Grissom, who averted his eyes, in fear of both the question and its answer.

Grissom knew that his team would start asking questions. That would want to know why Sara's immune system was so weak and they would start to question why none of Sara's family had been called. But he also knew he could not tell them, could not betray Sara's trust by unveiling her long-kept secret.

Grissom looked up to see all of his colleagues watching him, waiting patiently for him to explain.

"I can't."

"You can't what, Gil? Can't tell us why the hell Sara is in this hospital? Why she had her spleen removed? Why the hell not?" Catherine's outburst angered him at first. But then he recognized the genuine fear in her eyes and remembered the silent truce the two women had formed since their fight in the lab hallway.

"It's not my story to tell. I'm sorry" He turned his back to them, sitting down and returning all his attention to watching Sara's chest rise and fall.

* * *

Despite the horrible situation one of their own was in, the CSI's still had jobs to do. Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Greg gathered in the break room, exhausted and worried for their fallen colleague. It had already been days, and the constant lack of sleep was beginning to wear them thin.

Grissom, who had refused to leave Sara's side, was still at the hospital after taking time off for the first time in years. This left Catherine in charge, which she was usually happy about, but not under these circumstances.

She had spent the last few days sorting through personnel files in between cases, trying to find the family contact details of her sick friend. Her search had only resulted in more questions, after finding the space, under the heading EMERGENCY CONTACTS, blank.

She was becoming frustrated, knowing that Gil was purposefully holding important information from her.

She was broken from her thoughts by a loud throat clearing, and turned to glare at Nick, who only shrugged in response.

"Okay guys. I know you all don't want to be here, but if we want to keep our jobs we have to get to work. Nick and Greg, you have a home invasion. Vega will meet you there. Warrick, a B&E at a jewelry store just off strip."

"What are you going to be doing Cath?" Warrick asked curiously.

"I'm going to get us some answers." She exited the room without any further elaboration.

* * *

"Hello…. Doc?" Catherine called as she entered the morgue.

"Catherine. What can I do for you?" Doc Robbins spoke as he slowly made his way towards her, his cane clicking on the floor as he moved.

"I need some info, if you have time. I was wondering what kind of condition would require your spleen to be removed?" Catherine questioned.

"So this is about Sara? Should you really be prying into her business, Catherine?"

Catherine did not respond to this insinuation, instead just kept a level stare on the doctor, who eventually caved under the pressure and began to divulge the sought after information.

"A splenectomy may be required as a treatment for certain auto-immune disorders, cancers and also for porphyria. But the most common reason is due to physical trauma, usually caused by car accidents or during sporting activities. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you Catherine. There really is no other way to narrow it down without asking Sara directly."

"Okay. Thanks Doc"

She turned to exit the room but was stopped by Doctor Robbins voice echoing off the steel doors occupying the walls of the morgue.

"Catherine… If you see Sara again before I do, can you tell her to get well soon?"

"Will do Doc" And with that she was gone.

As she made her way back to the lab she couldn't help but think over all the possibilities resulting in Sara's surgery years ago. Any of the options seemed as horrible as the rest, especially as she was only a child at the time.

'_I guess there is only one way to find out'_, Catherine thought as she changed direction and began to head for the AV lab.


	7. The Horrible Truth

A/N: _Sorry for the long wait. My computer died leaving me with no way to upload. I'm just glad I saved all the files on USB beforehand! Please be patient with me, the story will get finished!_

* * *

Grissom was startled awake by the feel of slight movement in the hand clasped within his own.

He was immediately on his feet, watching her face for any sign of consciousness. Her eyes remained closed, but he was able to hear a slight moan despite the tube passing through her airway. The doctors had informed him that she had to remain heavily sedated as long as she still required mechanical ventilation, and if she did regain consciousness she would probably be too disoriented to communicate.

Despite this, Grissom found himself stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort. It wasn't long before her small movements had ceased and she was asleep once again.

* * *

Nick and Greg returned to the lab shortly after discovering their case to be nothing more than a domestic dispute gone wrong. An angry husband had stormed out of his house without his keys after a fight with his wife. To calm down, he decided to get drunk at the local bar, before walking home, discovering he was locked out and breaking through his lounge room window. His sleeping wife had been startled awake by shattering glass and had called the police. 

Nick wished that all his cases had such a peaceful ending. He was beginning to become overwhelmed with night after night of death and destruction. He felt the weight of this job suffocating him, especially know since he knew that one of his best friends may not be around to joke with him during a hard case, or go out for breakfast after shift, or hell, even tease him over his choice of shirt.

'_Oh God. Sara has to be okay.'_

* * *

After doing a general search on her friend's name, Catherine was not shocked to see a list of newspaper articles. It was quite common in their line of work, to be quoted or mentioned in the crime section of the paper. After scrolling down, however, she was shocked to find articles from years before, articles that would have been written when Sara was only a child. Clicking on a random link, Catherine could not help but gasp in shock. 

The heading read, "**Child of Tamales Bay Murderer placed in foster care**."

Quickly closing this article, she returned to the first link available, and tapped her fingers anxiously as she waited for it to load.

"**Local women kills abusive husband"**, the title proclaimed.

Catherine continued down, reading the article, before moving onto the next.

When the three nightshift CSI's finally came upon the AV lab during their search for their temporary supervisor, Catherine had finished most of the pages.

"Cath? Something wrong?" Warrick questioned, not liking the his friends pale complexion.

"It was so easy to find, it only took a general search. I didn't want to pry. Now it all makes sense, if only we had paid more attention." Catherine rambled.

"What are you talking about, Cath?" Nick asked, his fear growing following the older CSI's bizarre response.

Catherine moved aside to allow them to see the screen. The photograph visible showed extreme bruising on the face of a small child. A child with brown hair and a small gap between her two front teeth. The three men all turned to Catherine in shock, their eyes silently questioning.

"Her father did this. She was only six in this picture. The hospital let her return home with that monster." Catherine spat out, anger rising at the thought of her colleague's pain.

"But how Cath? How could they not see something was wrong?" Greg questioned, his eyes never wavering from the battered face of his friend.

"It's a small town. Her parents owned the local B&B. Everyone thought they were upstanding citizens. No one knew anything was wrong until her mother snapped one night and stabbed her husband. How could the hospitals mistake beatings for accidents? How could that not see that a little girl was being hurt by her own father? Someone she was supposed to be able to trust…Oh God. I attacked her. She was hurting over that case and all I did was attack her. She knew that women was being abused. I should have asked what was wrong, I shouldn't have screamed at her…. Oh God."

Warrick took Catherine into his arms and held her has she silently cried over her mistakes.

Nick and Greg stood motionless, both imaging the horror their friend must have faced.

"How old? How old was she when it happened?" Nick whispered, afraid of the answer. He understand how childhood horrors continued to haunt, even years after the fact. Yet he hadn't even been the victim of something as horrible as this.

"She was eleven. She watched it…." She was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

They waited patiently as Catherine listened to whoever was speaking on the other end.

"Ok, Gil. I'll let the boys know."

After ending the call she turned her attention back to them and spoke.

"The doctors have decided to take Sara off the ventilator."


	8. Waking

It felt like someone was trying to rip her insides out through her throat. Her sedated brain could not comprehend what was happening to her. So she fought.

She fought the figures looming over her, pushing back as they held her down.

She fought against the rising panic, praying that whatever was happening would be over soon. And she fought to breath.

Sara coughed violently as the endotracheal tube was finally removed from her aching body.

And then she took her first unassisted breath in days.

* * *

The group had gathered outside the hospital room anxiously waiting for any news.

After what seemed like hours, the doctors exited the room, followed shortly after by Grissom.

"She's going to be okay. They took her off the ventilator and she is breathing fine on her own. She's already sleeping again."

"Oh thank God" Catherine gasped, holding onto Warrick's arm for support.

"Can we see her now?" Greg questioned, his anxiousness obvious to all around him.

"Soon Greg. They want to let her rest for a little while and then move her from the ICU. You can all see her then." Grissom began to leave, wanting to return to Sara's side, but was stopped by Catherine's voice.

"You should have told us Gil."

"Told you what?" He had paused in his movement, but had not turned to face them.

"If we had known we would have been better prepared. Known what not to say. We could have helped her."

Grissom felt his anger flare, at his colleagues for snooping and at himself. He had never meant for anyone to find out, not from him. Even though he had not told them directly, he had indicated something was wrong. He could not help but feel the guilt well up in him over the pain Sara was going to feel as a result of this revelation. Before he could get his anger in check he felt it pouring out of him in a outburst so loud, all the occupants in the hallway had turned in shock.

"How the hell could have you helped her! What could you have done? Kept her away from abuse cases, coddled her. That's exactly what she didn't want. She doesn't want you treating her differently or watching what you say around her. She doesn't want to be reminded of why she is different every time she speaks to one of you. She didn't want anyone to know… and I promised her they wouldn't. I promised that I wouldn't let her be hurt again, that she wouldn't need to come back to one of these places. No more hospitals." He stopped dejectedly and retreated quickly to Sara's room.

Catherine moved to follow, but Nick stepped in front of her.

* * *

She awoke to someone gently stroking her hair. Someone with a familiar scent.

She carefully opened her eyes squinting against the harsh light. She was meet by two blue eyes. She did not expect her mystery visitor to be Grissom.

"Hey. You're awake. How are you feeling sweetie?"

She was shocked speechless by his endearment, as well as by the fact that he was still touching her hair.

"Sore. But okay"

"That's good…. I was so worried about you Sara."

"I'm okay."

"But you weren't." Grissom responded, "you couldn't breath on your own, you were unconscious, you were……"

"Grissom, stop."

There was a long pause. Both occupants of the room deep in thought.

"I'm sorry"

"Why? Me being here has nothing to do with you." Sara asked incredulously.

"No not about that. They know. They know it all. I didn't tell them, I swear. Your doctor told us about your splenectomy and they suspected something was wrong. They care for you Sara."

She did not respond for a long time. She had hoped that her secret would not get out, but she wasn't surprised it had, after all her friends were investigators. But even though she knew they did it out of fear for her, she couldn't help but be scared that everything would change.

Fearing the worst from her silence, Grissom stood to leave.

"No don't go." She grabbed his hand with all her strength.

"I'm not mad. It was bound to happen eventually."

"Nothing will change, I swear. I already talked to them… well, yelled at them. They know why you kept it a secret. They won't treat you differently. I won't let you get hurt. Not again"

"Grissom, it's not your place to protect me."

"But I want it to be."

Sara could feel herself becoming light-headed, fatigue pulling her down. She was sure she had to be dreaming.

Grissom sensed her growing fatigue and slowly rose to drop a light kiss on her temple.

"Sleep Sara. I'll be here when you wake up."

She obeyed his command.

A soft knock at the door jolted him from his slumber. His eyes drifted over a still sleeping Sara before focusing on the intruder.

Catherine did not wait for permission to enter, but moved in to take a seat at his side.

Her eyes quickly glanced over the brunettes still body.

"She's looking good."

"Yeah." Grissom did not turn to face her, but kept his eyes firmly on Sara's hand, which was clutched tightly in his own.

"I'm sorry." They both spoke simultaneously. They couldn't help but laugh.

They paused for a moment before Catherine tried again. "I shouldn't have snooped. I should have waited for her to tell me herself. But you have to believe me Gil, I didn't do it for gossip material. I was worried."

"I know you were. We all were. I'm sorry I yelled."

"Apology accepted."

There was another long silence before Grissom spoke again. "She knows. I told her. She seemed okay. But you have to promise me that it won't change. I swore to her. You can't make a liar out of me. Not again."

"Never."

"So we're okay?"

"Of course. I will talk to the boys. Tell Sara we love her and we will all visit soon."

She stood to leave.

"Oh….and Grissom?"

"Yeah?"

"Take good care of her."

"I will." He answered quickly, complete sincerity in his words.

"I didn't mean just for now"

"Neither did I."

Catherine couldn't help the giant smile that erupted at his response.

And Grissom wore a matching one of his own when he heard her mumble, "About damn time" over her shoulder as she left.

FINIS

* * *

_So, after an extremely long delay the end is finally here!!_

_This felt like the best place to end it. But if anyone has any ideas for a continuation. I'm open to suggestions._

_Anyway, thanks for sticking around through all the delays._

_Hayesfever_


End file.
